Peter Harrison

Peter Harrison has led expeditions throughout the world, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and everywhere in between. Having had an interest in seabirds since he was a child, Peter has written and illustrated over a dozen books of which Seabirds: An Identification Guide, is considered to be the bible of seabird identification. He is only one of a handful of authors who both write and illustrate their books.

In recognition of his outstanding work in natural history and his dedication to conservation, Peter was invited to Buckingham Palace to be honored with the title,” Member of the British Empire (MBE)” by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Peter was also invited to Westminster by the “Royal Society for the Protection of Birds” to receive their Conservation Gold Medal Award. Past recipients have included Prince Charles and Sir David Attenborough. In March of 2017 Peter was the recipient of the Linnaean Society’s Eisenmann Award for Excellence in Ornithology.  A fellow of the Explorers’ Club, Peter recently led an international 6-person team to locate, catch, and describe the first completely new storm petrel species to be discovered in nearly 100 years - the Pincoya Storm Petrel.

Peter’s latest work, will be published in 2020 in the 2-volume “Handbook to the Seabirds of the World.” Comprising the most current of ornithological information and with over 4000 hand-painted illustrations. As a Trustee of both the South Georgia Heritage Trust and Friends of South Georgia, Peter played an active role in the South Georgia Restoration Programme. Now that South Georgia is rat-free he has lent support to the RSPB’s globally important Gough Island Campaign, a project he considers to be the planet’s most important eradication program. He has been invited to speak this summer at the House of Lords, Westminster, London, to support what is probably the most important conservation project in the world today:  saving Gough Island.